Dogs of owners charged with animal cruelty finding homes

ARIZONA -- Twenty dogs previously owned by Paulden residents facing numerous cruelty to animal and other charges are now being adopted to new homes through the Yavapai Humane Society.

The shelter already has adopted out the six puppies as well as four of the adult dogs, Humane Society Director Ed Boks said. Two more are currently available for adoption, and staff behaviorists are working with eight more. They all appear to be Huskie or Akita mixes.

"They were undersocialized, that's for sure," Boks said. "Clearly, the animals are in a better place."

Jeanette Stinson signed a settlement agreement May 12 after being arrested on numerous charges, including the agreement to relinquish the dogs. There were 20 pending Yavapai County Superior Court cases with numerous charges involved in most of the counts, including cruelty to animals, dogs at large, dogs disturbing the peace, and failure to license dogs. County officials said the dogs mauled and killed goats on the property as well as a neighbor's dog, and neighbors feared children were next.

Two other cruelty to animals charges relate to the deaths of two horses.

Similar charges against Ronald Godfrey remain on hold because an expert has ruled he is mentally incompetent to understand the charges against him. He is "not competent or restorable at this time due to his illness and its progression," his attorney wrote to the court.

Godfrey also is charged with resisting arrest, as well as threatening and intimidating Yavapai County Development Services Land Use and Planning Division Manager Dave Williams. He allegedly sent Stinson veiled text message threats to have Williams' family killed or kidnapped. Stinson told Williams about the texts.

"I actually had to get an order of protection against him," Williams said. "He would repeatedly make veiled threats to us." Unfortunately it's not uncommon for Development Services employees to be threatened, he added, and they often wear body cameras when investigating code violations.

Development Services has levied more than $50,000 in fines against Godfrey and Stinson for violations related to the dogs and outside storage after neighbors repeatedly complained. As many as 27 dogs were counted in outside pens at one time, Williams said.

"We have gone way out of our way to try to mitigate this and bring this into compliance," Williams said.

Godfrey and Stinson unsuccessfully appealed the fines.

"The dogs are all hand raised and social," they wrote in their appeal, saying some were service dogs for Godfrey's late wife and now Godfrey. They accused neighbors of riling the dogs by throwing things at them, spraying water on them and using silent dog whistles.

Problems with Godfrey and dogs started with about a half-dozen dogs in Dewey, Williams said. Godfrey then moved to Paulden. The owners kicked him out of that home so he apparently purchased another smaller Paulden property in March of 2014.

"We're blessed it's a life-saving opportunity when animals find their way to the Yavapai Humane Society," Boks said. "We will do our best to rehabilitate these animals and find them homes."

YHS finds homes for 97 percent of the animals that come to its shelter, compared to the national average of only 40 percent, he said.

Williams said Godfrey and Stinson allowed the Phoenix Humane Society to take some of their dogs last December, but that group took only five puppies.

(Prescott Daily Courier - June 1, 2015)